Whipped cream icing is what I’ve used most for ice cream cake. I’ve also used buttercream upon request which, obviously, is much firmer out of the freezer.

The fondant sheets could work. Can you buy it in small sheets? One suggestion is to stick the cake in the freezer after you add the whipped cream icing. That will firm it up and help secure the fondant cutouts (no possible slipping).

If you have time before making the cake you might check Amazon for the hearts and stars candies.

My first reaction was no on the whipped cream because it gets weird in the freezer. Gummy and it can weep and just ewww. Are you doing a part cake/part ice cream layers thing? Or ice cream molded in a cake shape? I think American buttercream is the thing for birthday cakes but it does sweat a bit in the freezer. It doesn't get as weird as cream. Maybe an Italian meringue (marshmallow, really)? I haven't frozen it but the ’net says it freezes well. Or you could ”frost” with ice cream if you can keep it cool enough. Or fondant! Fondant doesn't taste great, and it can sweat or weep in the freezer, but it holds up to gentle blotting while still solid. I think the fondant cutouts sound perfect. That would look most like the picture, unless you want to airbrush with stencils.

My experience is the whipped cream holds up fine without changing appearance or consistency. It’s actually a nice contrast to the ice cream. I’d stick with fondant just for the cutouts.

I'd take Chloebud's advice on the cream (we posted at the same time). Thinking on it further, I don't much like whipped cream anyway and am probably hypersensitive to imperfections in it.

Just wanted to add both DH and our son like buttercream for ice cream cakes. Plllog is right since sometimes there can be a little bit of sweating but no one seems to mind. It’s been quite awhile since I’ve made an ice cream cake. I would always make them on the smaller since it seemed easier, such as 6“ or 8” cake pans.

Good luck, FOAS.

About the fondant, though, I'm not sure that's your best option. In my experience, it "melts" a bit when it comes into contact with something wet, and if the whipped cream sweats a little then the fondant cut outs could soften, slide off, melt and run, etc.

Another possibility could be candy melts. I'd probably try to get some candy molds and make small decorations out of candy melts. The only problem would be if they were too big they could be heavy and slide off anyway.

Annie

My neighbor, who decorates beautiful cakes, uses this icing recipe. I believe it can be frozen sucessfully because she keeps a tub of it in her freezer. It sets up very nicely…hard enough to attach decorations to, but not so hard that it cracks or crumbles when it is cut.

I agree with Annie, I would be very wary of using fondant on whipped cream as I think the fondant would slide off. One doesn't often see cakes that are iced with whipped cream decorated the way you are thinking, so I suspect that whipped cream is not the best choice for a cake where you want decorations on the vertical surface. The onlu thing I can thinnk of is if you coud find cutters the size and shape you want and maybe cut them out of fruit roll ups?

I would use that old reliable 7 minute frosting and make tiny well baked sugar cookies for the cutouts. Ther are many sizes of tiny on the web....and 7 minute frosting is just a Swiss meringue. It won't hold up very long in the refrig, but a few hours in the freezer will be fine and by baking the mini cookies at a low temp until very crisp they should stand up very well.

AND taste good unlike fondant bits.

food, I have to admit I've never worked with fondant and whipped cream. I can see Annie's point with the moisture issue. A quick check shows several videos online with tips to use fondant on whipped cream. No clue about the validity but might be worth checking.

Good possibility from bbstx, too.

So if you don't care about deliciousness of decor, you could cut them out of edible paper. Or make them out of royal icing, and stick lengths of something hard (maybe royal icing ”toothpicks”) in them to push into the cake. Or use buttercream and the fondant shapes.

My old Betty Crocker party cake book says to use gumdrops (or any jelly candy, I guess) rolled out flat and cut into shapes for making little decorations like that - wonder how that would work? I think you use granulated sugar, the way you'd use flour when rolling and cutting doughs, to keep it from sticking.

@foodonastump when you get this all figured out, I need you to post your results and comments. DGD2 will be 3 and lives for Max and Ruby. I *may* need to make a Max and Ruby cake for her b’day!

Hi all - Thanks for the many varied responses; I’m not 100% sure where this leaves me but I’ll take all your thoughts into consideration as I decide on a plan of attack. And bbstx I’ll post results if it’s not too embarassing!

I cheated. Got Carvel fo make me a crooked cake. The hearts and stars were my addition. I used the dough from black and white cookies, baked in a cooler ofen per Linda’s advice, and then spray painted them. She loved it!

Thanks again for all the advice: I learned a few things even if I didn’t put it all to use.

Excellent!

Wow - nice work!

And no shame in making your life easier, IMO.

Love it!!!

Oh, very cute, FOAS. Happy Birthday to the Birthday Girl!

Annie